Buckle attaching machine



1957 J. N. GARRETT BUCKLE ATTACHING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 21, 1955 il in Jack N. Gar/eff INVENTOR ATTORNEY Jan. 29, 1957 Filed July 21, 1955 J. N. GARRETT 2,779,355

BUCKLE ATTACHING MACHINE 2 Sheets-#Sheet 2 6 W (lac/r- IV. Garref? 4 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Unit This invention relates to bagging ties and particularly to a machine for fastening a buckle to one end of a bagging tie.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a machine for automatically attaching a buckle to an end of a length of bagging tie of the kind usually employed for binding cotton bales.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine including a base, a mounting plate supported perpendicularly on the base, a slotted tie winding shaft supported by said plate for rotative and reciprocative displacement and carrying a pinion, a driving wheel having a sector gear adapted for periodic engagement with said pinion for driving said shaft, a rocker arm connected at one end to said shaft and whose opposite end engages a cam on said wheel for reciprocating said shaft, a buckle drag bar engaging a buckle for positioning the same in relation to a tie wound on said shaft and a hammer and anvil for flattening the convolutions made in said tie by said shaft after the latter is disengaged from said tie.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is the front elevation of the machine.

Figure 2 is a left side elevational view in which parts are shown in vertical section.

Figure 3 shows the preliminary relative positions of the tie and buckle, and

Figure 4 shows the buckle attached to the tie.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawing, reference numeral denotes a base which has a vertical supporting plate 11 to which is attached near the top a main bearing housing 12 by means of a flange 13 on the bearing housing 12 and the bolts 14. Bearing housing 12 holds bearings 15 and to into which a driving shaft 17 fits. Shaft 1'7 has a driving wheel lb mounted on one end thereof, held in place on shaft 17 by a key 19 which latter is fitted into a keyway in the shaft 1'7 and a hub 20 on the wheel it? and by the nut 21 and washer 22. The wheel lb may be driven by means of a flat belt or fitted with V-gro0ves for V-belt drive as shown. Fitted tightly on the other end of shaft i7 is a disccrank 23. The disc-crank 23 has a crank-pin 24 with connecting-rod 25 connected to a plunger as by means of a pin 27. The plunger 26 slides in the guide-bl0ck 28 and is retained for vertical movement by plate 29 fastened to guide-block 28 by screw-s 30. The guide-block 50 is held in position by screws 31 fitted into supporting plate 11 with sleeve-spacers 33 extending between the supporting plate 11 and the back of the guide-block 23. An anvil 34 is positioned directly below the guide-block 28 and is fastened to the base ill by screws 35 through flanges 36 Y of anvil 34.

A plain bearing-block 37 is mounted on the supporting plate 11 below and through the center line of the bearing housing 12 near the base ill and is secured by screws 38 through a flange 39 of bearing block 37.

A spindle 4E9 fits into the bearing block 37, one end of the spindle extending under the guide-block 28. The spindle lll has two fiat parallel sides 41 and a slot 42 atent in its end. A groove 43 is provided in the spindle 40 in which a ball 44 of a retainer 45 rests, the ball being pressed downwardly by a coil spring 46.

A pinion-gear 47 is fitted tight on the spindle 40 behind the supporting plate 11 and is arranged to engage a gear rack or sector 43, mounted as shown inside the rim of the wheel. A ratchet 4-9 is mounted on the back of the plate ii. to engage the pinion-gear 47 to prevent it from turning clock-wise.

There is a collar 50 on spindle 40 immediately behind the pinion-gear 47, having a pin 51 on each side, over which the yoke 52 of a rocker-arm 53 rides. The collar 51 is recessed in the spindle 40 and is retained in place by a collar and screw 54 and 55, respectively.

The rocker-arm 53 has a pin 56 extending through a supporting block 57 on each side. The block 57 is fastened to the plate 11 by screws 58 through a flange 59. A spring Gil is attached at one end to the plate 11 and at its opposite end to the rocker-arm 53. A pin 61 extends from the top of rocker-arm 53 on which there is rotatably mounted a roller 62, held in place by nut 63.

A circular cam track 64 is formed on or attached to the inside of the disc 65 of the wheel 18.

.A plate-cam 66 is attached to the plunger 26 (Figure 1) by the screws 67 with spacer-block 68 between, to clear the plates 29. Near the plate cam 66 is a lever 69, having a grooved wheel 70 mounted on one side thereof, which engages the said plate cam 66. The lever 69 is supported at its top by a pin 71 which passes through the upper end of the lever and the arms of an car 72 which is welded to an angle-bar 73 extending from the vertical supporting plate it. The angle-bar 73 is welded to the plate 11 (Figure 2). Of course, other means for joining these parts may be used.

A buckle drag bar 74 is connected at one end to the bottom of lever 69 by a pin 75. A grooved wheel 76 is mounted on one side of the drag bar 74 to engage a plate-cam 77, which is secured to the base 10 by means of screws 78 through the flange 79 of the plate-cam 77.

In operation:

Figure 1 shows the machine in starting position. A tie 80 (Figure 3) with a buckle 81 slipped over the end is placed with its end in the slot 42 of the spindle 40 with one end of the buckle 81 engaged. in a recess 82 (Figure l) on the free end of the hook-bar 74. The wheel 18 rotates counterclockwise, engaging the gear rack 48 with the pinion gear 47 to revolve the spindle 40 two complete turns. When the spindle 48 has made one and one-half turns, the buckle drag bar 74 moves the buckle $1 from one side of the spindle along with the tie as the spindle 4:0 completes the second turn, placing the buckle in its final position on the opposite side of the spindle. The retainer 45 now holds the spindle 40 as the gear rack 48 leaves the pinion-gear 47, since the ratchet 49 prevents the spring tension of the Wound tie from turning the spindle clockwise.

Now, as the wheel 18 continues to turn, the roller 62. on the rocker arm 53 engages the circular earn 64, actuating the rocker arm and causing the spindle as to move longitudinally through bearing block 37, withdrawing from the twisted tie, leaving the twisted tie and buckle in position between the anvil 34 and the down moving plunger 26.

As the withdrawing action of the spindle it is completed, plunger 26 will have traveled downwardly to a position to collapse the rolled tie or band dl against the anvil 34 into the form shown in Figure As the plunger 26 completes its down-stroke and starts upwardly the completed band is released and removed. When the plunger reaches a point to permit passage of spindle 44 the latter emerges from the bearing 37 to assume its operative or extended position to receive an end of the next 3, band or ties for a repeatv operation. As spindle 40. re: sumes its extended position, the plunger 26 will have reached its upper position, carrying with it the cam plate 65,, permitting the hook-bar 74 to returnito its initial position shown in Figure 11 What is claimedis:

1.. llama-chine for attaching. abu-ckle: t -anend of a bagging tie, a: base having averticalsupportithereon a horizontally reciprocable and rotatable: tie winding spindle in said support: having a slotted end to receive an end of-said tie having a buckle thereon, ,a. 'drag bar engage-able with one end of said buckle and movable across said spindle to effect interengagement between the opposite end of. saidibuckle and the: first convolutionof said: tie duringywinding thereof on saidzspindle, as driving shaft, a drivihg wheel onrsaid shaft having a gear; sector, a pinion on the opposite end of said spindle with which said gear sectorv isperiodically engaged to rotate saidtspindle, means pivoted to saidsupport, and cooperating with means on said driving wheel for periodically retracting said spindle for the removal of awound tie and buckle, means for collapsing the convolutions of said: tie subsequent to its removal fromsaidispindle, means carried by said driving shaft for actuating said, collapsing means andzmeans carried by said collapsingmeans for actuating said buckle drag bar.

2. In a machine for attaching a buckle to a baggingtie, a base having a vertical support. thereon, a spindle mounted horizontally in said support for rotation and longitudinal reciprocation, said'spindle having a slotted endfor the reception ofan end of said tie carrying a buckle, audriving shaft mounted in said support. above and'parallel withvsaid spindles driving wheel onone end oftsaid shaft having a sector gear, a pinion on saidspindle with which said sector gear is periodically engageable to rotatev said spindle to wind said tietbereon, a drag bar engaging one end of said buckle for transferring the same across said spindle, from one, siderto the other thereof to incorporate the opposite end-of'said buckle within the convolutions of said tie during winding'thereof on said spindle, means actuated by. said driving wheel for withdrawing said spindle from the convolutions of said tie, means actuated by said driving, shaft for collapsing said convolutions and means carried by said collapsing means for actuatingsaid buckle drag 3'. in a machine for attaching a buckle to a bagging tie, a v-ertical'support, a winding spindle rotatably andreciprocably mounted in said support and having aslot in one end thereof for receiving one end of said tie about which said buckle i loosely mounted, a driving shaft mounted in said support above said spindle, a driving wheel mounted on one end of said shaft. having means cooperating with means on said spindle-for periodically rotating the latter to wind a portion of said tie thereon, a buckled bar engaging said buckle and adapted to move the same into a position whereby one end thereof will lie between the first and second convolutions of said tie, means carried jointly by said. driving Wheel-and the opposite end of said spindle for retracting the some to detach the convolutions of said tie from said spindle, an anvil onto which said convolutions are deposited from said spindle, means actuated by said drive shaft to compress said convolutions against said anvil and means carried bv said compressing means for actuating said buckle drag bar.

4. in a machine for fastening a buckle to a bagging tie, a rotatable and reciprocable winding spindle-to one end of which is attached one end of said tie on which said buckle is loosely mounted adjacent said spindle, a drivmg shaft and a driving wheel on said shaft, a common support for said driving shaft and spindle, means carried jointly by said driving Wheel andsaid spindle for periodically rotating the latter to wind a portion of said tie thereon, a. buckle drag bar adaptedto engage a portion ofsaid buckle and dispose another portion thereof in a positionxto be embraced by the firstconvolutionmade in said tie as said spindle is rotated, means pivoted to said support and to said spindle and actuated in sequence with said periodic rotating means for retracting said spindle from the convolutions of said tie, means actuated by said driving shaft for collapsing the convolutions of said tie to secure said buckle-and means carried by said collapsing means for actuating said drag bar in sequence with saidlperiodic rotating means, said retracting means and said collapsing means.

5'. In a machine for attaching a buckle to a bagging tie, a rotatable and reciprocable winding spindle. having means at one end for the attachment thereto to one end of said bagging tie on which said buckle is loosely mounted, a driving shaft and a driving wheel mounted on said shaft, a common support for said driving shaft and said spindle, a pinion on the opposite end of said spindle, a sector gear carried by said driving wheel for perodic engagement with said pinion for rotatng said spindle to wind 2. portion of said tie thereon, means en gageable with a portion of said buckle andldisposed for movement across the rotating axisof said spindlefonloeating another portion of said buckle between the firstvand. second convolutions in said tie during rotation: of said spindle,tmeans effective to retract said spindle in timed relation with the action of said spindle rotating means to release the convolutions of said tie therefrom, means actuated by said shaft forv collapsing said convolutions to secure said buckle and means carried by said collapsing meansfor actuating said buckle portion engaging means.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein said spindle retracting means is comprised of arocker arm pivoted in termediate its ends to said common-support andhaving one end pivoted to one end of saidispindle, a roller on the opposite end of said rocker arm and a circular cam track carried by said driving wheel with which said roller periodically engages.

7. The structure of claim 5 wherein the means for compressing the convolutions in the tie is comprised of a plunger reciprocable vertically above the end ofsaid spindle about which said tie is Wound, a disc on said drive shaft, a connecting rod eccentrically pivoted tosaid disc at one end and at its opposite end to said plunger and a stationary anvil in alignment with saidplunger below the said end of said spindle and against which said convolutions of said tie are compressed by said'plunger when said spindle is in retracted position.

8. The structure of claim 5 and ratchet means holding said spindle against rotation in a direction opposite its normal direction of rotation under tensional forces exerted on said spindle by the convolutions of said tie.

9. A machine for attaching a buckle to-a bagging tie, comprising a rotatable and horizontally reciprocable spindle having means at one end for holding an end of said tie on which said buckle is loosely mountedin juxtaposition to said spindle, a driving shaft having a driving wheel thereon, a common support for said drivingshaft and spindle, a pinion'on the opposite end of said spindle, a gear segment on said wheel for intermittent engagement with said pinion to rotate said spindle to wind thereon a portion of said tie, means operating in sequence with the rotation of said spindle to engage and drag said buckle into a position whereby a portion thereof willbe disposed between convolutions of said tie during-rotation of-said spindle, means for retracting said spindle following a predetermined number of revolutions thereof to release the convolutions of said tie, a vertically reciprocable plunger, means for reciprocating said plunger'fr'om said driving shaft and means onto whichthe convoluted end of said tie isdeposited from said spindle and against which said plunger is moved to flatten said convolutions and secure said buckle.

10. The structure of claim 9 wherein the rneansfor positioning the buckle inrelation to the convolutions'of said tie is comprised of a first cam plate affixed to said 5 plunger, a lever pivoted at one end in relation to said common support, a drag bar disposed transverse to the axis of said spindle and pivoted at one end to the oppo' site end of said lever, a second cam plate, a first roller carried by said lever and engaging said first cam plate and a second roller carried by said drag bar and supported on said second cam plate whereby vertical reciprocation of said plunger will effect transverse reciprocation of said drag bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2,036,866 Frost Apr. 7. 1936 2,612,203 Smida Sept. 30, 1952 2,705,027 Sanborn Mar. 29, 1955 

